The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian
Commentary on the contrast in the novel "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie between modern ideals and traditional.
Society plays a large role in everyday lives- it can dictate how one should think and act in as the “popular opinion”. With this idea in mind it is easy to think that thoughts and opinions are in unison within the world, yet this is not the case. A vast range of ethics and morals spread across the population of Earth there are bound to be both unanimous decisions and conflicts. The most pressing in aspects current events in countries around the world would be the argument of modernism and traditionalism. Progression in the world of today is not always met with open arms, and at times …show more content…
In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior experienced alienation from his own tribe on the reservation. As everything he had ever known, for him to be shunned was a major event in his life. He was accused of being a, “white lover” when transferring to a high school off of the reservation for the sole reason of bettering his own education- something he could not do while on the “rez”. The transition from “old” reservation ideals to the “new” outside world is seen as treason and Junior was consequently seen as a traitor to his heritage- especially by his peers (Alexie 52). Modern education- being generally unavailable to those on the reservation at the level and quality off- is not accepted in the Indian way of life (Alexie 43). As well as the aforementioned academic-based reason, Junior was also alienated for social reasons. His home with his tribe is one that is unanimously Indian in the people living there and always was. Although Junior did not physically try to become something other than what his heritage is, by defying the traditions associated with it and the rez he had- in doing so- virtually became another ethnicity in the eyes of his tribe (Alexie …show more content…
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009. Print.
Basu, Moni . "Census: More People Identify As Mixed Race." New York Times 27 9 2012, n. pag.
Web. 12 December 2012.
Choe, Sang-Hun. "In Changing South Korean, Who Counts as 'Korean '?." New York Times 29 11 2012, A14. Web. 11 December 2012.
Lauer, Helen. "Rethinking 'Tradition vs. Modernity: The Social Construction of the 'HIV/AIDS Crisis ' in Africa." Culture Today. 2006: 2-20. Web. 12 December 2012.
Li, Tao. "Philosophic Perspective: A Comparative Study of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine." Asian Social Science 2. (2011): 198-201. ProQuest. Web. 18 December
Society plays a large role in everyday lives- it can dictate how one should think and act in as the “popular opinion”. With this idea in mind it is easy to think that thoughts and opinions are in unison within the world, yet this is not the case. A vast range of ethics and morals spread across the population of Earth there are bound to be both unanimous decisions and conflicts. The most pressing in aspects current events in countries around the world would be the argument of modernism and traditionalism. Progression in the world of today is not always met with open arms, and at times …show more content…
In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior experienced alienation from his own tribe on the reservation. As everything he had ever known, for him to be shunned was a major event in his life. He was accused of being a, “white lover” when transferring to a high school off of the reservation for the sole reason of bettering his own education- something he could not do while on the “rez”. The transition from “old” reservation ideals to the “new” outside world is seen as treason and Junior was consequently seen as a traitor to his heritage- especially by his peers (Alexie 52). Modern education- being generally unavailable to those on the reservation at the level and quality off- is not accepted in the Indian way of life (Alexie 43). As well as the aforementioned academic-based reason, Junior was also alienated for social reasons. His home with his tribe is one that is unanimously Indian in the people living there and always was. Although Junior did not physically try to become something other than what his heritage is, by defying the traditions associated with it and the rez he had- in doing so- virtually became another ethnicity in the eyes of his tribe (Alexie …show more content…
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009. Print.
Basu, Moni . "Census: More People Identify As Mixed Race." New York Times 27 9 2012, n. pag.
Web. 12 December 2012.
Choe, Sang-Hun. "In Changing South Korean, Who Counts as 'Korean '?." New York Times 29 11 2012, A14. Web. 11 December 2012.
Lauer, Helen. "Rethinking 'Tradition vs. Modernity: The Social Construction of the 'HIV/AIDS Crisis ' in Africa." Culture Today. 2006: 2-20. Web. 12 December 2012.
Li, Tao. "Philosophic Perspective: A Comparative Study of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine." Asian Social Science 2. (2011): 198-201. ProQuest. Web. 18 December